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Published on 11/16/1998 All articles from this issue

Assisi largely undamaged by quake, lecturer tells Los Altos Morning Forum

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By Laura Brown

Special to the Town Crier

Most Americans who saw the television coverage of the twin earthquakes that struck Assisi, Italy, in September 1997 believe that the city was virtually destroyed, and therefore not a good place to put on one's travel itinerary.

To the contrary, said Anne Robichaud, American tour guide and lecturer who lives there with her Italian husband and three children. "This is a stellar year to be in Assisi," Robichaud told the Morning Forum of Los Altos on Nov. 17.

Except for the highly publicized collapse of the upper church of the Basilica of St. Francis, the city is substantially undamaged, including the lower church of the Basilica which contains the tomb of St. Francis and is open to visitors.

The Basilica of St. Clare, the founder of the Poor Clares order of nuns, is also open to visitors. Robichaud advised the audience to visit Assisi before the year 2000, which will be the year of Pope John Paul's Jubilee Tour, with Assisi the second stop after Rome, and which is expected to draw 38 million visitors to Italy.

Robichaud, who said she is an art historian "by passion, not academics," gave a slide presentation titled "Assisi: The Resurrection After the Earthquake of 1997." The program highlighted the city's art and architecture that escaped earthquake damage and the beauty of the medieval city.

A five-week U.S. lecture tour by Robichaud this spring helped to generate contributions to the restoration work and to increase tourism to the area by presenting correct information about the extent of the earthquake damage.

Robichaud, a graduate of the Santa Clara University, has lived in Italy since 1973, founding an English Language Institute in Assisi, coordinating and lecturing for the Elderhostel programs, and creating and leading the Umbrian Countrysides" tour for the Smithsonian. She also conducts personalized tours and lectures on various aspects of Italian and Umbrian culture, such as rural architecture, folklore and festivals, and the meaning of Italian gestures.

Her next U.S. tour will focus on "Umbrian Rural Cuisine," cooking classes for eight to 10 people in private homes. Each class will feature preparation of a meal, and, as Robichaud says, "Mangiamo! (We eat!)"

Morning Forum is a members-only lecture series held at the United Methodist Church of Los Altos. To get on a waiting list for membership, write to: Morning Forum, P.O. Box 274, Los Altos 94023-0274.